Wringer



Oct. 19, 1943. R. s. BLOUGH WRINGER Filed Aug. 4, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 19,- 1943. R. s. BLOUGH WRINGER Filed Aug. 4, ,1940

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 19, 1943. R, s BLOUGH 2,332,129

WRINGER Filed Aug. 4, 1940 3 sheets-sheet s Patented Oct. 19, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcEV WRINGER yRonald s. plough, Fairfield, Iowa Application August 4, 1940, Serial No. 351,417

7 Claims.

This invention relates to clothes wringers and more particularly to a new and improved wringer safety release mechanism wherein the pressure between the wringer rolls and the driving connection to the rolls may be released by movement of the rolls or pressure on the'exterior surface of the wringer at any point on the wringer structure.

Before describing the detailed structure and operation of the' present disclosure, it is believed advisable to point out that in the prior art many different forms of safety release mechanisms have been applied to wringers and these mechanisms have customarily been provided with release buttons, levers or bars arranged in such a manner as to be as conveniently accessible as possible, so that they may be easily operated without diilculty in case of emergency. Despite many attempts to provide satisfactory arrangement of bars, however, wringer accidents continue to occur and it is the underlying theory of the present invention that any conceivable arrangement of release buttons or bars is insucient in View of the necessity for instant action in case of emergency and that to'provide an entirely successful releasing mechanism, it is essential that the pressure between the rolls should be releasable byimanually striking, pushing or pulling any portion of the wringer structure, and also by the natural reflex reaction of the operator in case of accident.

It is a matter of common knowledge that in the event that the operator may allow her hand to come into the wringer and be gripped by the bite of the rolls, the sharp pain caused by the roll pressure will result in an entirely involuntary reex action tending to jerk the hand from the rolls. Unfortunately, however, the grip of the rolls is too secure to permit the hand to be withdrawn, with the result that in prior art devices serious injuries may occur before the operator regains sufficient presence of mind to operate manual release targets or bars.

This invention proposes to utilize the involuntary reaction for the purpose of actuating control devices to release the wringer pressure and stop the rotation of the rolls, but recognizes that as ay practical matter many problems of mechanical design arise in connection with the manuveniently operated, and that the latching mechanism be stable to prevent accidental release of the pressure spring, as, for example, when the operator desires to shift the wringer from one indexed position to a different angular position with respect to the wringer column, or to reverse the direction of rotation of the rolls.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a wringer mechanism including a gear head adapted to be locked in any one of a plurality of indexing positions with respect to a wringer column and arranged to support a wringer mechanism by a pivotal connection, so that any relative movement between the gear head and the wringer may be utilizedto actuate the pressure release devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yieldable wringer arranged so that any shifting movement of the wringer body will actuate pressure release devices and provided with locking mechanisms to render the pressure release devices inoperative at certain times during the operation of the devices, as, for example, when the gear shifting mechanism is in neutral position or when it is desired to alter the angular position of the wringer structure on the wringer column.

A iurtherv object of the` invention is to provide a wringer as above described, having reversing gears and indexing mechanism operable independently of the pressure release devices to the end that the reversing lever and indexing stops may be actuated without the necessity of releasing the pressure between the rolls.

vA further object of the invention is to provide a shiftable wringer having a releasable pressure latch arranged to be operated by the shifting movement and including a spring centering device arranged to maintain the wringer in op'- erating position and prevent any possibility of accidental shifting due to small accidental lateral forces applied to the wringer during the normal operation of the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pivoted wringer structure wherein the pivot comprises concentric top and bottom bearings spaced apart a relatively great distance sullcient to prevent undesirable binding in the pivot connection due to the weight of the wringer or to extreme vertical forces applied to the unsupported end of the wringer structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wringer including stationary supporting elements and a shiftable wringer and release device comprising a pin and a V-notch supported on the stationary and movable structures. respectively,

vuni-directional movement to release the safety latch.

These and other important objects are accomplished in the present invention by the structure disclosed in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view tken substantially on the center line of a wringer comprising a preferred embodiment of the inventive principles herein disclosed;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the wringer structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 ls a detailed plan sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 3-3 in Fis- 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailedlplan sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view taken substantially on the, plane of the line 5-5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a, longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the center line of a modified form of wringer structure;

Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 8-8 in Fig. 6.

In the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the general structure comprises a wringer column arranged to support a gear housing on which a wringer frame is pivotally mounted, so that it may be shifted in either direction to actuate the wringer release mechanism. The wringer column |I includes a notched indexing plate |2 and is provided with a central driving tube I3 and a bearing |4. As will be seen from an examination of Fig. 1, the wringer column Il extends upwardly beyond the indexing plate l2 a sufficient distance to provide a relatively long telescoping cylindrical bearing surface I5 to support the sleeve-like bearing surface I5 of the gear housing i1. The housing I1 serves to enclose a pair of driving pinions I3 and I9, each of which is arranged to mesh with a driven bevel gear 2| and each of which is mounted in axial alignment on a short drive shaft 22 journaled in the upper and lower drive shaft bearings 23 and 24. The lower extremity ofthe drive shaft 22 is coupled to the driving tube I3 to complete the power connection between the driving gears and a conventional motor of a washing machine.

A clutch sleeve 25 is splned to the drive shaft 22 and arranged to be shifted vertically along the shaft 22 by means of the gear shifting handle 26 having an eccentric shifting pin 21 on the hub 23, it being understood, of course, that whenever the clutch collar 25 is moved upwardly it will engage suitable clutch teeth on the driving pinion |8 to drive the wringer in a forward direction, and whenever the gear shift handle 26 is actuated to shift the clutch collar 25 downwardly, it will engage similar teeth on the bevel pinion I9 and drive the wringer rolls in a reverse direction. The mechanical connection between the driven bevel gear 2| and the lower wringer roll 29 is completed by a suitable coupling member arranged to extend between a pin and slot connection in the hub of the gear 2| and the shaft of the lower wringer roll 29.

The gear housing |1 is provided with a vertically slidable indexing pin 3| slidably mounted in bearings 30 and provided with a coiled com pression spring 32 arranged to exert a downward pressure on the washer 33 attached to the pin 3| to urge the lower end of the pin 3| into locked engagement with one of the notches of the indexing plate |2 and thus lock the gear housing |1 in any one of a. plurality of angular positions corresponding to the angular positions of the several notches in the indexing plate. It is to be understood, of course, that when it is desirable to shift the angular position of the wringer structure, the indexing pin 3| must be lifted upwardly and withdrawn from the indexing plate, and to accomplish this a trip lever 34 is pivoted on a pin 35 and is provided with a bifurcated yoke 36 arranged to encircle the pin 3| and lift the pin 3| by applying upward pressure on the washer 33.

The main wringer structure is not rigidly secured to the gear housing I1, but is provided with a separate frame 4| which encloses the entire gear housing and which is provided with an upper bearing 42 arranged to encircle the bearing sleeve 43 on the extreme upper end of the gear housing I1 to establish pivotal connection between the gear housing I'l and the wringer frame 4|. To insure smooth pivoting action be tween the gear housing and the frame 4|, the upper bearings 42 and 43 are supplemented by concentric lower bearlngs between the exterior bearing surface 44 of the sleeve portion I6 and a cooperating bearing surface 45 formed integrally with the frame casting 4|. A retaining strap 46 is provided to complete the bearing surface around the sleeve I6 and an annular flange 4l is formed immediately above the bearing 45 in order to prevent the wringer frame from being moved vertically with respect to the gear housing I1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the entire wringer frame 4| is pivotally mounted on the bearings 42-43 and 44-45, and may thus shift a limited amount in either direction with respect to the gear housing I1. It should be noted, also, that this pivotal mounting is at a point remote from the bite of the rolls, so that in the event of accident the natural reflex reaction, tending to jerk the hand from the rolls. may be utilized to operate a pressure release latch.

This provides, in eifect, a reflex release." since its operation is entirely automatic and will release the pressure in an emergency entirely independently of any rational thought'or voluntary action on the part of the operator.

At certain times in the operation of the mechanism, for example, when it is desired to swing the wringer across the washing machine tub and alter the indexed position of the wringer with respect to the wringer column II, it is desirable to prevent this pivotal movement and thus to prevent any possibility of the wringer pressure being accidentally released while the mechanism is being indexed.

To accomplish this result, a locking plug 31 is provided on the index pin 3| and is provided with a slightly rounded upper portion arranged to seat in a locking socket 38 in the bearing 45 to positively lock the housing I1 and wringer frame 4| against relative movement whenever the indexing pin 3| is lifted out of the notches in the indexing plate I2. The plug 31 is positioned on the pin 3| in such a position that the lower end of the pin 3| will engage the indexing plate shortly before the plug releases to permit pivotal movement between the gear housing Il and wringer frame, so that the pin 3| must be firmly seated in the indexing plate before the reflex release mechanism becomes operative.

ture by providing a notch 40 in the hub 28 and positioned so that the index pin 3| can be lifted only when the gears are in neutral position.

The frame 4I is provided with vertical bearing stiles 5| and 52 in which the bearings 53 and 54 of the lower roll are seated. The upper roll 55 is preferably provided with somewhat similar bearings 56 and 51, and while these bearings 56 and 51 are positioned within the bearing stiles 5| and 52, respectively, they are each enclosed and maintained in association with the top frame 58 by a pair of retaining straps 59 and 6I secured to the top frame 58 by the cap screws 62. The top frame 58 is preferably, though not necessarily, pivoted to the main frame 4I by means of a pivot pin 63 at the extreme right-hand end of the top frame. With this arrangement the top frame' 58 may pivot upwardly around the pivot 63 to release the pressure between the rolls` 55 and 29 in case of emergency, but when the wringer is in operating position, the outer end of the top frame 58 will be locked in engagement with the frame 4I by mechanisms to be hereinafter described, and the upper roll 55 will be forced downwardly into pressure engagement with the lower roll 29 by the fiat lpressure spring E3.

A conventional pressure adjusting mechanism may be used on the spring 64, as, for example, the annular adjustable screw 65. In order to lock the top frame 58 in operating position on the lower frame 4I, a cross pin 66 is mounted on an upwardly extending lug 61 adjacent the outer end of the wringer structure. The pin 66 projects outwardly on either side of the lug 61 suciently to be engaged by a pair of latching bars 68, but it should be understood that the pin 66 does not extend through the side walls of the wringer top frame 58. The latching bars 68 lie immediately inside of the side walls of the top frame 58 and are slidably mounted in notches 1I and urged to the right by the compression springs around the dual bar 68 abutting the roll bearings as shown in Fig. 1 and urging the bars 68 to the right. In order to prevent the latching bars 68 being dislocated from the notches 1I,

suitable extensions 12 are provided on each of the straps 59 and 6| to overlie the lower edges of each'of the bars 68. Each of the bars 68 is provided with an inclined cam surface 13 at its outer end, and at the inner end the bars are joined by a rivet 14 and are also interconnected by a cross pin 15 on which a rotatable sleeve 16 is mounted. The pin 15 and sleeve 16 are arranged to pass through the bayonet slot 11 in a latching plate 18`pivoted on a cross pin 19 extending between the lugs 8I, which are preferably formed integral with the top frame 58. The latching plate 18 is preferably formed of 'double or U-shaped configuration, having-identical side plates 18a and 18h joined by a connecting n web 18e. A V-shaped notch 82 is formed in the web 18e and a release roller 83 is mounted on a pin 84 stationarily aixed to the boss 85 on the gear housing I1. A reset lever 86 is pivotally mounted on the cross pin 81 and is positioned to lie within an opening 88 on the wrlngertopl frame 58 andis provided with a hooked-shaped portion 89y adapted to engage the sleeve l16 during'lthe resetting operation. l

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: When the parts of the wrin'ger mechanism` are in the operating position as illustrated in the drawings, the operator may grasp the gear shift lever 26 and move it in either direction to cause the clutch collar to engage either the upperr pinion I8 or the lower pinion I8, and thus drive the wringer rolls 29 and 55 in either the forwarder a' reverse direction; When the operator desiresv to shift the angular position of the wringer withf respect to the wrlnger column II and indexing plate I2, she may pivot the gear shift lever 26 inwardly about the pivot 26a until the lower end of the lever 26 contacts the lever 34 and lifts the locking pin 3| above the slots of the indexing plate I2. When the pin 3| is withdrawn from the indexing plate l2, the wringer structure may be manually shifted to any angular position, and the pin 3| lowered to engage and lock in another notch of the indexing plate. It is to be noted, however, that the indexing mechanism cannot be disengaged unless the gear driving collar 25 is in itsneutral position, so that the upper end of the pin 3I may rise into the notch 40 in the hub 28 of the gear shifting lever 26.

To release the pressure voluntarily, the operator may strike the wringer frame 4I at any point remote from the wringer column and whenever this is done, the wringer frame.will pivot on the bearings 42-43 and 44--45, thus causing the latching plate 18 to shift its position with respect to the latch releasing roller 83. Inasmuch as the releasing roller 83 is positioned between the cam surfaces comprising the V- notch 82, any relative movement at this point4 will cause the plate 18 to pivot in a counterclockwise-direction around the rivet 19 and will lift the bayonet slot 11 to disengage the crosspin 15 and rotatable sleeve 16 When the cross pin 15 has been thus released, the coiled compression springs 10 will urge the slide bars 68 to the right as viewed in the drawings, thus causing the slide bars 68 to withdraw from engagement with the cross pins 66 and release the entire top frame 58 of the wringer. The top framev 58 will remain in pivotal connection with the main frame 4I by reason of the cross pin 63, but will rise sufficiently to allow the pressure spring 64 to assume its natural conguration and release all effective operating pressure between the nrolls.

In the event of an accident, the operator need not do any voluntary act, since if her hand becomes caught in the bite of the rolls, she will l involuntarily respond with a reflex action tending to withdraw her arm, and this force, acting on the rollsv themselves, will effect a releasev tion 89 will engage the sleeve 16 and force the'v slide bars 68 to the left. At this time the inclined cam surfaces 13 will engage the lower side of the cross pin 66 and act to force the top 58 downwardly so that the pressure spring 64 will be slightly flexed and will apply initial operating pressure between the upper roll 55 and the lower roll 29. As the reset lever 86 reaches the upper limit of its movement, the sleeve 16 and cross pin 15 will come into position below the offset portion of bayonet slot 11, and the latching plate 18 will drop into position and prevent a return movement of the slide bars. It is appreciated that the force of gravity is suicient to cause the latching movement of the plate 18, but to insure positive operation, a coil spring 19a may be inserted to exert a constant tension in a clockwise direction. around the pivot pin 19.

The modified form of the wringer structure illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, is quite similar in structure to the wringer mechanism just described and will, therefore, not be described in complete detail except as to pointing out the differences in operation and in the structure.

In this mechanism the wringer column is provided with a gear housing |02 to enclose conventional gearing similar to the gearing heretofore described, and the wringer frame |03 is mounted on the gear housing |02 by a pair of screw-threaded studs |04 and |05, each ofwhich is mounted in suitable brackets |06 and |01 on the gear housing |02, and each of which is arranged to establish a pivotal connection between the gear housing |02 and the supporting bracket |08 to which the wringer frame |03 is secured.

The bracket |01 on the housing v|02 is also provided with an extension on which a latch release roller ||2 is mounted by means of a pin ||3. The latch release roller ||2 is positioned to ride in a central portion of a V-shaped notch I4 formed in the slide ||5 secured to the lower portion of the wringer frame |03 by a plurality of rivets |6 arranged in longitudinal slots ||1 in the slide plate ||5. The opposite end of the slide plate is positioned in contacting relationship with a latch ||8 arranged to engage a toggle-type reset lever ||9, and a coil spring |2| is positioned on the latch pivot pin |22 to insure proper operation of the latch ||8 independently of the forces of gravity.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the entire wringer frame |03 may be pivoted on the studs |04 and |05 and may thus shift a limited amount in either direction with respect to the gear housing |02. At certain times in the operation of the mechanism, however, as, for example, when it is desired to alter the index position of the wringer with "respect to the wringer column |0|, it is desirable toprevent this pivotal movement and thus to prevent any possibility of the wringer pressure being accidentally released while the mechanism is being indexed. To accomplish this result an arm |25 is provided o n the wringer supporting bracket |08 and is arranged to extend a'cross the top of the gear housing |02 to a point remote from the studs |04 and |05 and adjacent a locking plate |26. The plate |26 is slidably mounted in suitable bearings in the wringer frame and is provided with an aperture including cam surfaces |21 and |28 arranged to encircle the hub |32 of the gear shift lever |33. The hub |32 will Contact the cam |28 and hold the plate |26 down, out of engagement with the arm 25 when the lever |33 is in position corresponding to the forward and reverse positions of the gears, but as the hub |32 is provided with a cam portion |36 which contacts a coacting projection |21 in the locking plate |26, the latter is forced upward when the handle |33 is in neutral position, forcing the upper end of the plate |26 into the opening or recess |31 thereof and to lock therewith. Thus, whenever the gear shifting lever |33 is in its forward or reverse position, the cam surface |28 will force the locking plate |26 downwardly and out of engagement with the arm |25 At this time it will be clear that any external force applied to the wringer frame |03 will result in pivotal movement of the frame about the studs |04 and |05 and will cause the latch-release roller I |2 to engage the cam surface of the notch ||4 and slide the slide plate ||5 longitudinallyto disengage the latch ||8 and allow the toggletype reset lever ||9 to fly outwardly and upwardly and release the pressure from the rolls.

The above is the normal operation of the wringer mechanism, and as hereinbefore pointed out, it is sometimes desirable to render the pressure release devices inoperative and this may be accomplished automatically by the simple expedient by moving the gear shifting lever |33 to neutral position. At this time the rise |36 of the cam surface |3| will engage the cam |21 of the locking plate |26 and force the plate |26 upwardly into a tapered orifice |31 in the arm |25. As the plate |26 seats in the orice |31, it will positively lock the arm |25 and thus prevent any pivotal movement of the wringer frame |03 with respect to the gear housing |02. The operator may then operate the lever |38 to withdraw the indexing plunger |39 from locked relationship with the column |0| and may shift the Wringer into any position without fear of accidental release of the roll pressure.

The indexing plunger |39 is positioned dif rectly below the locking plate |26, so that it cannot be lifted from indexed position unless the gear shift lever |33 is in neutral position and the plate |26 raised into locked relationship with the tapered orice |31 in the arm |25. The tapered surfaces of the orifice |31 and the corresponding tapered surfaces of the upper end of the plate |26 eliminate any difficulties that might be caused by imperfect registry of these parts, since they comprise a positive centering mechanism to bring the wringer to exact position with respect to the gear housing.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, I am aware that it is subject to numerous variations and modifications, and therefore wish the scope of the invention to be considered as limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a pivotally mounted wringer adapted to.

be operated in various angular positions, the combination of a wringer drive column including a notched indexing plate, a wringer drive gear housing mounted in telescoping relationship with said drive column and including an indexing stop arranged to engage said notched indexing plate, a wringer structure including a frame, a plurality of pressure rolls, a pressure spring and a pressure release latch; pivotal connections between said wringer structure and said gear housing. coacting means between the indexing stop and pivotal connections to permit and prevent pivotal movement, and relatively shiftable devices including oppositely inclined cam surfaces associciated with said gear housing and said wringer respectively and adapted to actuate the aforementioned release latch responsive to relative pivotal movement between said wringer and said gear housing.

2. In a pivotally mounted wringer adapted to 2,382,129 be operated in various angular positions, the' combination of a wringer drive column including a notched indexing plate, a wringer drive gear housing mounted. in telescoping relationship with said drive column and including an indexing stop arranged to engage said notched indexing plate, a wringer structure including a frame. a plurality of pressure rolls, a spring and a release latch; pivotal connections between said wringer structure and said gear housing, coacting means between the indexing stop and pivotal connections to permit and prevent pivotal movement and relatively shiftable devices associated with said gear housing and said wringer respectively, and adapted to actuate the aforementioned release latch responsive to relative pivotal movement between said wringer and said gear housing. v

3. In a wringer, the combination of a. wringer support column including an index plate; a wringer drive gear housing pivotally mounted on the support column to permit various radial positions thereon; an indexing stop on the gear housing for locking the housing in selected radial positions on the column by coaction with the index plate; a wringer frame, including coacting pressure rolls, a pressure spring and a pressure release latch, pivotally mounted in driving relationship on the gear housing; pressure release mechanism operable by pivotal movement of the frame on the gear housing; and interlocking means coacting between the index stop and the frame to prevent pivotal pressure release movement when the indexing stop is actuated to permit changing the radial position of the wringer frame.

4. A wringer as described in claim 3 wherein the pressure release latch includes a toggle lever mounted on the end of the frame, operable as a pressure reset lever.

5. In a wringer having a wringer support coll umn including a notched index plate; a wringer drive gear housing pivotally mounted on the support column to permit various radial positions thereon; an indexing stop on the gear housing ior locking the housing in selected radial positions on the column by coaction with the index plate;'a wringer frame, including coacting pressure rolls, a pressure spring and a pressure re' 5 lease latch, pivotally mounted in driving relationship on the gear housing; and pressure release mechanism actuated by cam means positioned near the pivot center of the frame to provide powerful lever release action, operable by pivotal movement of the frame on the gear housing: the combination of interlocking means coacting between the index stop and the frame to prevent pivotal the indexing stop is actuated to permit changing the radial position of the wringer frame.

6. A wringer as described in claim 5 wherein the wringer frame includesl a top frame hinged on a lower frame in coacting relationship with the pressure spring and pressure release latch, operable as a pressure reset lever.

7. In a wringer having a wringer support column including a notched index plate; a reversible and neutral wringer drive gear mechanism, including a control lever, pivotally mounted on the support column to permit various radial positions thereon; an indexing stop on the gear housing for locking the housing in selected radial positions on the column by coaction with the index plate; a wringer frame, including coacting 30 pressure rolls, a pressure spring and a pressure release latch pivotally mounted in driving relashionship on the gear housing: and pressure release mechanism operable by pivotal movement of the frame on the gear housing: the combina- 35 tion of interlocking means coacting between the index stop and the frame to prevent pivotal pressure release movement when the indexing stop is actuated to permit changing the radial position of the wringer frame; and an additional in- 40 terlocking means coacting with the wringer drive gear control lever to prevent actuation of the indexing stop when the control lever is in driving position.

RONALD S. BLOUGH.

pressure release movement when 

